The invention relates to through-the-washer and dryer laundry products and more specifically one that contains a predetermined amount of detergent particulate.
Presently, when washing a load of clothes, the detergent must be measured and added at the start of the washing cycle. The detergent may be either in a liquid or granular form. The detergent that is added in this manner is often spilled or wasted on top of the washing machine, and cleaning is generally necessary.
A fabric softening and static control composition may be added at a different stage of the washing cycle or it may be added during the drying cycles. Several patents have been granted on methods and structures that allow fabric softening and static control compositions to be deposited into the clothes washing machine. The Jones U.S. Pat. No. 4,118,525 discloses a water-insoluble substrate carrying an intimate mixture of fabric softening and anti static compound in a dispersion inhibitor. This allows the laundry product that is added to the automatic washer to be subsequently transferred into the dryer with the wet clothes where it provides the fabric softening and static control benefits.
The Bedenk et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,907 discloses a multi-compartmentalized laminated laundry product that contains different powdered laundry products. The Ping et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,774 also discloses a through-the-wash and dryer laundry product that contains fabric softener material. The Clauss et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,746 pertains to coated particles of fabric softener which are included with detergent in the washing of fabrics. The particles survive the wash cycle and release softeners to the fabrics in a heated laundry dryer. The Wierenga et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,681 is directed to a pouch, detergent-compatible, through-the-wash, dryer-released, jumbo particulate fabric softening composition.
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel through-the-washer-dryer pouch-type detergent bag that is economical to manufacture and market.
It is another object of the invention to provide a much more effective pouch-type detergent bag that captures a predetermined amount of air in its inner chamber and allows detergent also contained in the chamber to slosh around therein as it dissolves in the water that has penetrated the detergent bag. This insures fast and complete dissolving of the detergent.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a much more effective pouch-type detergent bag having a unique shape.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a novel pouch-type detergent bag that puffs up when it is dropped in water, then completely flattens out during agitation within the washing machine and later curls up into a wad of material that is transferred with the clothes into the dryer where the water softening/anti-static ingredients are activated and transferred to the clothes during the drying cycle.